Friday, October 22, 2010

On Week 8 of Homeschooling

Tot School

I tried a couple new things this week for Tot School with Sugar P. We tried a sensory bin for the first time and she loved it! The other girls did too, actually. I have never really understood the point of a sensory bin, but it was pretty interesting to see all the different developmental skills Sugar P was using with such a simple thing!

Sugar P exploring the sensory bin

I also made some yummy smelling playdough this week which was a HUGE hit with all three girls. We have always had playdough around, but I tried a new recipe for making my own since most of our playdough was dried out. The recipe I've used in the past was always too sticky, so when I found this one and made it and it wasn't sticky I was super excited! It's really soft and I added a drop of butter rum flavoring for candy and some cinnamon to make a real wonderful smell. That must be what kept the girls so interested in it.

Sugar P loved the playdough!

Sweet P cut out different shapes and used her playdough mats for the letter Hh
and the number 3.

Sugar P has been loving our calendar time, especially since she has a special job to pick the color of the day. She started sorting the colors into her stacking cups - most of the time she needed help but she did this several times during the week with her sisters nearby to help correct.

I found some magnet shapes stashed away in our craft closet and thought it might be something great to use for tot school. We tried to use them on our dry erase board but they didn't stick, so I turned it around and that worked perfectly! Sugar P enjoyed sticking them on the board and then taking them off and putting them back in the bowl I stored them in. Sweet P (3 years) actually sorted them by size, color and shape! And LP used the magnets to make little people and pictures.

As a distraction from a huge fit Sugar P was throwing, I got out a piece of construction paper, a paintbrush and a bowl of water and let her "paint". It worked for about 2 minutes. Then, my husband took over the fit throwing and let me retreat for the next hour.

We will probably try painting with water again, when Sugar P is not in the middle of throwing a fit.

Raising Rock Stars Preschool

& Letter of the Week

Letter Hh

This week's letter was Hh. Our favorite part was the mother and father cut and paste activity. So cute!

She fed Peter some carrots, working on counting backwards from 10, as we sang a song to the tune of Up On the Housetop.

"Out in the garden, there I see,
10 little carrots growing merrily.
Peter came and ate one.
Oops! Oh no!
Now there are 9 carrots in the row."

The girls loved the Peter Rabbit character masks and game from Making Learning Fun After Sweet P colored the masks, I laminated them and taped a popsicle stick to the back. Then I took the kids outside for a game of Mr. McGregor chases Peter. The song that we sang was included with the masks and was so cute!

Tapestry of Grace

Year 1, Unit 1, Week 8

This week with TOG we learned a lot about Jewish celebrations such as Yom Kippur and Sukkoth.

In the middle of the week we put together an Old Testament doctor's kit. One of the things I found interesting is that the "doctor" would put yeast on a baby's hurting gums. (But don't try this at home!)

6 comments:

Hi there, I just found your blog through Homeschool Creations. What beautiful children and photos you have here!

We are BIG fans on sensory tubs and I'm so glad you decided to give them a try. They are a wonderful sensory experience and allow children to explore different textures, colors, sounds (add some beans to a container and shake away!) and even smells! Beyond that they are great for counting, sorting, pouring, scooping and imaginative play.

I think it's sometimes hard for us adults to see "the point" in such simple things, but we have to remember to look at things from a child's perspective. A big tub of misc. things is ever so intriguing to a small person!

I love the picture of your daughter exploring the sensory bin. She looks so enthralled, curious.Was never sure if I wanted to try scented playdough. I felt my kiddos would try eating it. Love the Peter Rabbit activities